Leonidas was one of the Guardian's here at Mario's. His reassuring presence could be found patrolling the grounds and docks from sunset to sunrise most evenings. Last night he was shot dead at around 6pm on his way to work here.
He was not on marina property and he was not carrying the weapon that is issued to whoever is on duty at night time.
The marina staff are deeply shocked. Most of them live in the same village and he was a popular man. The cruisers gathered at coffee time to digest the news given by Jim, the marina owner.
We await further information but for now our thoughts are with his widow and two children.
Sorry that I got the wrong Steak House name. Here is how it happened.
As we are driving into Orlando we start trying to remember the name of the steak house Gerry & Geoffrey recommended. Since both Michael and I suffer from a chronic case of CRS (can't remember shit) we knew it was a name like Chuck, Charles, or Charley. While waiting at a light I see a taxi advertising Charley's Steak House and convince Michael that that is the name of the place that was recommended.
NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION! I was wrong and Michael was RIGHT.
So it was my fault that we had the best, most expensive steak meal of our lives because I suffer from CRS.
Sorry Gerry & Geoffrey. You both are off the hook.
Our daughter, Tina, and her partner, Jennifer, joined us for a couple of days in Orlando. We wanted to go out for a steak dinner. Gerry & Geoffery said that they had had the best steak in Orlando at Charley's Steak House. I can't remember if they said anything about price, however they did say it was the BEST steak that they had had in a long time.
So after a long day of parks and riding rollercoasters we decided to go to Charley's. I was afraid the minute that we walked into the door. The decor was judge's paneling, wine racks, lush carpeting and the waiters/waitresses were better dressed than us!
The real shock came when we opened the menus. Now these are not just menus these are over sized leather with gold ribbon menus. It took two hands to hold them and my carpel tunnel syndrome started to kick up. There was NOT a entree under $30.00 and I didn't even look at the appetizers. The kids kept asking if I was okay. I was barely able to breath.
I quickly realized that the girls couldn't afford this meal. Yes, I know we could have and should have walked out with our dignity and credit rating intact. Another family did just that, but NO....we stayed and looked at the wine list like it would save us. It did not. So with all the graciousness that I could muster while performing CPR on myself, I stated, "This is our treat. Order what you want." I must say that they were kind and didn't go for the most expensive meal. So we all settled down and enjoyed the meal of a lifetime. At the end of the meal they put up the $40 tip. Jennifer made my night when she stated, "That was the best meal I have ever had in my entire life." I sure hope she wasn't blowing smoke.
I wonder if I could get the recipe for that califlower, jalepeno, cheese, cassarole dish?
There are not words to describe the hamburgers back in the USA. I think that I have eaten at least one a day and some days two. There are so many choices: swiss, chedder, american, povalone, morzarella, bacon, applewood smoked bacon, chipolte sauce, iceberg lettuce, real ketsup, mushrooms, BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES!
I think that that is what I miss when not in the USA. OK, there are other things, but right now it is the top of my list.
I bet right now you are wondering about the "Keep the Safety on Your Finger" thing. Well we got to meet Spiderman today. I got so excited that when we got ready to sling our webs...my "Bird" Finger went off! Yes, everyone saw it. Everyone laughed even the webbed one. So just make sure that when you meet Spiderman and get ready to sling your web that you don't shoot the Bird!
Planning a trip to Disney is like a Military Operation. After shopping around for the “best price” you come to find out that Disney just doesn’t need to discount their tickets. People will pay because it is Disney.
So even though our 7 day ticket for 3 adults to Universal Studios and with Wet “N” Wild included was cheaper, you just can’t NOT do Disney! We watched the Disney Channel for Orlando and found the 7 top attractions. We thought we could do IT.
The PLAN was 3 adults, 1 day, 4 Parks. The day started early with breakfast at Perkins. Hey you got to carb- up for all the walking. Then we headed to the MagicKingdom. The young girl at the ticket counter was astonished at our plan. Armed with maps of the 4 parks we established the closing time of each park and started the attack at 0930.
I can tell you that we made 3 parks. We decided to blow off Disney Studios. So what did we ride?
1. SplashMountain
2. Big ThunderMountain
3. SpaceMountain
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. The Haunted Mansion
6. Spaceship Earth
7. Mission Space
8. Soarin’
9. KaliRiver Rapids
10. Expedition Everest-Legend of the forbidden Mountain
It may not look like many rides, but let me tell you Expedition Everest Rocked. We saw the Yeti! In Soarin’ we were hang gliding. Even though I am terrified of heights I managed to enjoy the sights and sounds. Truly amazing. Mission Space we got to fly a rocket ship to Mars. Closed dark spaces, spinning and crash landing were just some of the things we overcame.
We got back to the hotel and ordered a pizza. We still need to get to the Chinese Buffet. May-be tomorrow? Right now my piernas need some hot water and then elevation.
We are headed to Orlando to vacation for a couple of weeks. We plan on hitting Disney World, Universal Studios and Wet 'N' Wild.
Think that we can increase Consumer Confidence as we will be shopping at West Marine, Book Stores, and Clothes Stores. Yes, it is a vacation, but it also a replenishing trip.
Promise a good update when we return with lots of pictures. Tinkerbell better watch out the "Dragons" are coming.
We wish that our family could join us, but Dad is back in ICU. He developed blood clots in his leg and they are working to dissolve them.
As hurricane Ike travels to Galveston I am reminded of the old Glen Campbell song. We spent a wonderful time in Galveston while waiting for weather on our first sailboat adventure. We have always loved the town and the island.
We have enjoyed the bay, Dickens on the Strand, walking along the beach, sailing to Pt. Bolivar, touring the museums and walking the decks of the Elisa. We read the book Isaac's Storm about the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston.
Now Ike is churning toward Galveston and we are thinking of all our wonderful times there. We are praying for the people there who's future is bleak at the moment. We hope that they will find the strength to rebuild and go on. Life is full of uncertainty. Right now the only certainty for Galveston is that Ike is coming and he is is awesome!
I took an unexpected trip on the 28th of August. My Mom called and said that my Dad was in the hospital and had had brain surgery. Those words, “Brain Surgery” sound so very scary! He had 4 subdural hematomas. The one in the center of his brain had 4 layers the size of small pancakes. His only symptom was he got a headache when he blew his nose, and he started to drag his foot. Mom noticed the foot dragging and insisted that he go to the hospital. Lucky for him she was observant. He had surgery within the hour and they were not sure that they were in time.
I won’t bore you with all the medical details, but know that he has a long road ahead of him. I do want to share with you how it felt to be his daughter.
I have always thought that my Dad was the BEST. He can do anything. He was my first love and I am grateful to him for all the life lessons he has taught me. To see him lying in a hospital bed was very hard for all of us. Because I was a nurse in my previous life and ran a physical rehabilitation unit I was aware of many things that thankful the rest of my family was unaware of. I really did try to just be his daughter, but when I thought that things weren’t going the way they should then I had to say something. Heck, the staff knew I was the “Nurse”.
Giving your father a bath and helping him in the shower busts down a barrier that is difficult to cross. My thinking was this gave Mom some down time and I could observe him and let Mom know of my concerns. Role reversal is never easy, but I would stand in the shower with him everyday if it would make his life easier.
I noticed the small subtle cognitive changes. It was frightening to notice that he couldn’t follow conversations. I nearly jumped for joy when he finally said my name. He is working hard on regaining his memory and manipulation skills.
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about my sister, Helen, and my brothers, Joe and Paul. They are the best siblings. Helen got there first as she lives the closest. She saw him in an induced coma and when it really was touch and go. Joe arrived next and he brought humor and strength to Helen and my Mom. Paul was unable to come, but he called us or we called him every day. I of course flew from Guatemala to Fort Lauderdale, Fl. to Las Vegas and then was driven 2 hours by my niece to pick up my car and drive almost 6 hours to Tucson. My brother-in-law Einor talked me into the parking lot of the hospital. What a get calming influence Einor is for all of us.
Being the oldest I have always taken charge and think of myself as the Head Honcho. It was difficult for me to realize when I saw the emergency contact sheets and realized that I wasn’t the first or second contact. Helen and Joe are. I know I live in another country, but my heart felt like I was letting them down. I know they are all competent, they proved that. They are all successful in their lives, but I am the oldest and I feel it should be my responsibility. I understand and accept.
We talked about all the hard things: funerals in detail, what our parents want, cleaning out the house, etc. We talked about on our way to Dad and Mom that we would just start crying. I am sure that the guys sitting next to me on the plane thought I was a wacko. We laughed too. We hugged. We kissed. We told stories. We sat in silence and just enjoyed being together. It was hard to leave Mom alone with Dad, but it is time for them to be them. They know any of us will come when needed. They need continued prayer so don’t forget them just because the crisis is passed.
My last day with Helen and her family was wonderful. They let me play Guitar Hero on their Wii. What a blast!
To all my friends around the world who emailed me. I can’t thank you enough for your prayers and thoughts. It does make all the difference. I was reminded of the scene in” It’s a Wonderful Life “when Joseph and God are talking about George and all the prayers offered up for him. We knew they were listening to all of you. Thank you just doesn’t cover it, but THANK YOU.
